How to Look Inside Yourself
According to psychologist Carl Jung, “The first half of life is devoted to forming a healthy ego; the second half is going inward and letting go of it.” Jung believed our vision only becomes clear when we dare to look into our own hearts.
In the classic Modern Man in Search of a Soul, Jung wrote,
To find out what is truly individual in ourselves, profound reflection is needed; and suddenly we realize how uncommonly difficult the discovery of individuality is.
Although we must all look inside ourselves, what we discover is often very different. “The shoe that fits one person pinches another,” observed Jung, “there is no recipe for living that suits all cases.”
Put another way, Jung said, “If the path before you is clear, you’re probably on someone else’s.” But where does one begin to discover who they really are?
Being alone with yourself is a good starting point, explained Jung. “The highest, most decisive experience is to be alone with one’s own self.” You must be alone to find out what supports you and realize that you can not support yourself. Only this experience can give you an indestructible foundation.
Next, one must have the courage to look inside themselves at their own darkness. Jung put it this way,
People will do anything, no matter how absurd, in order to avoid facing their own souls. One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious.
However, the critical point is that we are not identifying our darkness to remove it. […]
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Thank you for listening; I hope you found something useful.
Until next time, be wise and be well,
JW
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How to Look Inside Yourself